Pope Francis to visit Myanmar, Bangladesh

The Pope will be in Yangon and y Pyi Taw in Myanmar from November 27 to 30, before visiting Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, where he will conclude the trip on December 2, Efe news reported.

The Pope’s first visit to Myanmar, which is also the first papal visit to the country, comes at a time of worsening conflict and clashes in the state of Rakhine.

In May, the Pontiff received the de facto head of the Myanmar government and Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the Vatican, in a meeting that also marked the beginning of bilateral diplomatic relations. Pope Francis’ visit to Bangladesh will be the second papal visit after John Paul II in 1986.

Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority country, while Myanmar is domintly Buddhist, with Christians occupying a very small percentage of the population. Archbishop of Dhaka, Patrick D’Rozario, and Archbishop of Yangon, Charles Bo, were made the first two cardils in the history of the two countries. (IANS)